It appears from media report in the USA that Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings which owns Norwegian Cruise Lines, Oceania Cruises and Regent Seven Seas Cruises may make vaccination of guests and crews mandatory for sailing on their ships.
The reports say that NCLH President & Chief Executive Officer Frank Del Rio said that NCLH was looking into whether or not it has the legal standing to mandate vaccinations for guests, with a company spokesperson adding crew members will “begin their duties” with a jab.
The reports also say that NCLH has an ally in Cruise Lines International Association (CLIA), which has said it is also “actively exploring” whether or not vaccination of passengers and crews can be mandated, with a CLIA spokesperson saying, “Even once the vaccine is widely distributed, we are really going to need to get the advice of health authorities as to what measures we could begin to scale back on”, adding, “The measures are not an on and off switch as it relates to the vaccine and will be with us for quite some time”.
The reports also say that while mandatory vaccination is not incorporated into the Framework for Conditional Sailing, a United States Centers for Disease Control & Prevention Spokesperson added that vaccinations, along with other preventative measures, would be an effective strategy for reducing coronavirus transmission associated with travel.
A report by John Alwyn-Jones
.jpg){kind=tracking}